QUICK NEWS, 1-24: A REPUB ENERGY PLAN; SUN COMING BACK; WIND MAKERS PUT SAFETY FIRST; EFFICIENTLY WARMER & COOLER

A REPUB ENERGY PLAN
GOP Energy Plan Takes Shape...200 Nuclear Plants by 2050
Matin Rosenberg, January 21, 2011

"An emerging group of Republican leaders in Congress are putting together the elements of a new energy plan to help define a new national energy policy…Rep. Devin Nunes is emerging as one of the key architects…"

[Rep. Devin Nunes, R, Calif:] “…With half of our annual trade deficit related to energy and 70 percent of our oil coming from foreign sources, we have become dangerously dependent on unstable foreign governments…Throughout modern history, national energy consumption and economic prosperity have been closely correlated. Strong and healthy economies consume vast amounts of energy…[O]il, gas and coal continue to be the overwhelmingly dominant source of energy…Without these sources of energy, America would simply not function…[F]ossil fuels account for 84 percent of the energy we consume…”

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[Rep. Devin Nunes, R, Calif:] “…[T]he pace of energy innovation has been painstakingly slow…The American taxpayer deserves better. It is time for our nation's energy policy to be grounded in reality…The Roadmap for America's Energy Future recognizes that many options are available to secure our long-term energy security. The bill leverages these alternatives to produce a diverse energy portfolio that would offer much greater stability in the long run, as well as more affordable prices…”

[Rep. Devin Nunes, R, Calif:] “The Energy Roadmap begins by securing sufficient domestic fossil fuels for the coming decades, expanding oil production in the far reaches of northern Alaska, off our shores, and in the lower 48 through oil shale deposits…[B]illions of dollars in lease and royalty revenues…will be dedicated to a trust fund that will be used to secure the long-term energy needs of our country through the deployment of affordable renewable and alternative energy options…I have proposed unprecedented investments in new forms of energy - the largest investment in renewable energy in world history…”

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[Rep. Devin Nunes, R, Calif:] “…[P]ast investments in renewables have failed to provide meaningful choice or affordable energy alternatives…because federal funding for renewable and conventional energy alternatives have traditionally been provided to the most influential and well-connected special interests. I propose ending this cronyism by implementing a reverse auction that is blind to technology and immune from the influence of lobbyists or activists…[A]n energy producer would simply bid the minimum amount of federal assistance needed to create 1 megawatt of renewable electricity. The lowest bid will receive federal support…”

[Rep. Devin Nunes, R, Calif:] “…While additional investments in technologies and alternatives are needed…America's electrical demand can largely be met with the construction of 200 new [nuclear] reactors by 2050. The roadmap not only mandates the siting of these reactors, but it also paves the way for regulatory approval by streamlining the process…[N]uclear energy is greatly enhanced by the roadmap's waste recycling provision… The reforms contained in the roadmap present Congress with an opportunity to build a bridge to our nation's energy future without sacrificing our national prosperity. The plan will create real, high-paying jobs, and…reduce carbon emissions…[and] fund the most aggressive effort to deploy renewable energy in history…"


SUN COMING BACK
Solar VC Investments Rose Slightly Last Year Following Worst Of Recession

"Venture capital (VC) investments and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the solar sector - as well as the wind energy sector and the smart-grid sector - improved slightly last year over 2009's numbers, according to [Solar Funding and M&A 2010 Report] from Mercom Capital Group LLC, a global clean energy market intelligence, consulting and communications firm…

"For the solar market, total 2010 VC activity came in at $1.67 billion invested in 65 transactions, up 18% over 2009's numbers ($1.4 billion). There was increased activity in large-scale solar project funding, as well as debt and other funding types, pointing to an ease in the availability of credit after a challenging 2009, the report says."

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"A total of 148 different investors participated in VC funding rounds last year. Credit facilities provided to Chinese companies by Chinese banks came in at $34 billion, dwarfing all other transactions in solar…Solar M&A transactions in 2010 totaled $2 billion, with 44 deals. Solar project M&A activity amounted to another $450 million in 18 deals…

"Large-scale project funding came in at $4.1 billion in 2010, while debt and other funding types logged in $36 billion, of which $34 billion were in the form of credit facilities provided by Chinese government banks to Chinese companies, including LDK Solar, Yingli Solar, JA Solar, Suntech and Trina Solar…Notable VC transactions for the solar sector in 2010 included BrightSource Energy…Solyndra…and Amonix…Important project funding transactions included Torresol Energy…[for] concentrating solar power (CSP) plants…Abengoa Solar and JGC Corp. for a CSP plant…SunPower for its…Solar Ranch project…and Abengoa Solar and ITOCHU Corp. for their CSP plant…"

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"The year's top five investors in solar included Good Energies, New Enterprise Associates, Applied Ventures, Draper Fisher Jurvetson and Polaris Venture Partners. Project funding investments were led by Mizuho Corporate Bank, Natixis, Unicredit Group, BNP Paribas and Centrobanca…Among the top M&A transactions…[were] the acquisition of Etimex Solar by Solutia for $326 million - followed by Recurrent Energy by Sharp Corp. for $305 million - leads the list, closely followed by NextLight Renewable Power by First Solar for $285 million and SunRay by SunPower for $277 million…

"At $669 million, there was a surge in M&A activity during the fourth quarter, compared to $586 million in the third quarter…Significant M&A transactions included the acquisition of Glory Silicon Technology Investments (Hong Kong Lts.) by Suntech Power Holdings for $127 million and the acquisition of Sino Light Investments by Solargiga Energy Holdings for $108 million."


WIND MAKERS PUT SAFETY FIRST
Vestas Joins Other Manufacturers To Develop Safety Program
20 January 2011 (North American Windpower)

"In the name of safety, Vestas, Siemens, Suzlon and other manufacturers are joining forces to work with key customers in the industry to develop a safety-training program…in the framework of the Global Wind Organisation (GWO), which Vestas started in November 2009…"

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"The basic safety-training program is now finalized, and a test trial of the different modules has been conducted. The outcome of the testing is now being incorporated in the course material, and the program is expected to launch in the first half of [2011]…"


EFFICIENTLY WARMER & COOLER
Energy Efficient HVAC Systems; Thermal Energy Storage, Underfloor Air Distribution, Chilled Beams, and Other Emerging HVAC Innovations for High Performance Buildings
Levin Nock and Clint Wheelock, 1Q 2011 (Pike Research)

"Most changes in the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) industry over the next 5 years will be designed to decrease energy costs. Because of rising energy prices and pressure to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, many building owners have begun to manage energy cost actively as an asset, rather than a fixed cost.

"Until recently, the largest energy cost in most commercial buildings was lighting. As a result, many energy efficiency initiatives have focused on lighting. This effort has reduced lighting loads to the point where the largest single energy use in most commercial buildings today is HVAC. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) reports that 57% of the energy consumed in a commercial building is used for heating, cooling, ventilation, and lighting (32% for HVAC and 25% for lighting). Thus, energy efficiency initiatives over the next 5 years are likely to focus increasingly on HVAC…"

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"Most building owners have more important things on their minds than saving energy. In order for innovative HVAC equipment to address the energy retrofit market in existing privately owned buildings, short payback periods are required to attract a building owner’s attention. Ideal payback periods are zero or negative – providing operational savings at zero or negative first cost to the building owner. While various HVAC innovations have a net-zero incremental cost for new construction and attractive payback for retrofits, this information is not yet widely known among design and construction professionals…

"In this report, Pike Research provides 5-year scenarios for the U.S. market for building energy management systems, thermal energy storage, underfloor air distribution, geothermal heat pumps and evaporative pre-cooling for RTU’s. While these technologies occupy a small portion of the present market, Pike Research expects their growth to continue. While displacement ventilation, active chilled beams, and HRV/ERV are also expected to continue their rapid growth in the United States, market scenarios are not included because of insufficient data. Additional technologies are explored, as well, particularly in cases where the near-term market in Europe and/or Asia might expand into the United States beyond the 5-year focus…"